Reginald D Hunter, Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham

If ever there was an entertainment name in the news this week (aside from those being arrested), that name was Reginald D Hunter.

The black American comic's TV persona is a cuddly bear of a man, sometimes unlucky in love.

Last week the Professional Footballers' Association got to grips with his persona away from the sanitised world of pre-watershed television – and afterwards told the world they didn't like it. You can take your pick of who to believe about any ground rules on language and subject matter of that awards night set.

Reg spent the first section of his show in Nottingham setting the record straight. He's relaxed about the affair, saying that no-one from the PFA has actually been in touch since, and that the sensitive language under scrutiny is the language of his life, his work and his thoughts.

Perhaps an intelligent, astute and thoughtful comic was too much for the footballers and their WAGS. He certainly went down well in Nottingham, where Reg invited us to look at our own lives and attitudes in between the laughs.

Moving from the PFA “lies” to his view of the Pistoruis whodunnit and his “bionic spatulas”, he wondered whether women think with their emotions or their intellect. He spoke of the Philpotts and their 17 children and contrasted violence against women with what some believe is an “acceptable” violence within the pages of recent hit romantic novels (you know the ones).

Reg believes Jimmy Savile and Margaret Thatcher both “won”, and asks “If you were offered a pill that meant the worst thing you ever did wasn't found out until ten years after you died, would you take it?”

More thoughtful and less vulgar than the last time he visited Nottingham, this confessional set was perhaps very welcome therapy for comedian and audience alike.

Reginald D Hunter, Just The Tonic

On the television he's an unassuming observational wit.

But as Reginald D Hunter puts it: "That's business, this is art!"

And as he said, people come in to gigs like this with "hope and expectation" after enjoying his telly routine, but leave with shattered dreams and crushed hope after seeing the stand-up.

Of course, that's just one of his gags. But it is material that would make anyone blush and there were a couple of uncomfortable moments, mostly because of the language he uses - which is clearly intended to shock.

Oddly, the two parts of his act which were best received were the old staple of women drivers, and his visual "bear with me" gag.

As this was an Edinburgh preview, it would be interesting to see which of the rest of the material he keeps in. For it was all good stuff as he instantly built a rapport with the crowd.

He covers a wide range. His supposed abusive (if traditional) deep south childhood, his love life, being single, race, politics are the main fodder.

Sipping on a constant stream of double vodkas from the bar, Reg drew us in with his warmth and personable charm. Even when the easy-going comedy is juxtaposed with his impressions of an Australian friend's very strong expletives, you can't fault Reg. And it's surprising how many expletives he claims not to have heard of before he came to Britain! He's been here 12 years now on the stand-up circuit so he's getting a good handle on his vocabulary.

Supporting act Nick Helm took a while to warm up. But his poetry and music hit the spot with the audience, which preferred that to his jokes. He left the stage after some community singing with the applause still ringing in his ears.